A time for second chances
by Stormsmyth
Summary: This takes place after Spencer was shot in 7x10. Spencer's world is crumbling around her. She has just found out she was adopted, she is recovering from a bullet wound and a broken heart. What will happen now that life has given her a second chance? Will she finally get to be with the man she loves? Or will A.D continue to prevent her from finding true happiness.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Spencer gingerly lowered herself onto the sofa in the barn, Emily and Hannah supporting her either side. She had just been released from the hospital and was on strict bed rest, or as Spencer liked to call it, prison. Ali and Aria were making sure all the doors and windows were locked, the girls had been on edge ever since the night Spencer was shot. They were all waiting for A.D to make their next move on one of them. It was as if they wanted to prove how far they were willing to go, that they could kill them as easily as killing a pawn in a game of chess. That's what the girls felt like, pawns in a game they had no control over. No idea of when the next move might be.

"Thanks guys but I'm ok now, you don't have to stay" Spencer told the girls, wanting to be left alone for a while to process all that had happened.

"Are you sure Spence?" Emily questioned, doubt written across her face at leaving her friend after only just being released from the hospital.

"I'm sure. I should get some rest anyway and if anything happens I have you all on speed dial, I'll be fine. Plus there is a cop directly outside my house" she empathised, trying her best to encourage the girls that she really was ok when she secretly felt as though she was dying inside.

"Ok we'll go but we will be back later to check on you so don't get any bright ideas of going anywhere" Hannah said sternly.

The girls filed out of the door and headed back to Lucas's apartment to regroup and fill Mona in on all that had transpired. Meanwhile back at the barn Spencer was finally alone with her thoughts. She felt as though her whole world was slowly crumbling around her, that all she had thought true and real was nothing but lies and deceit. It's no wonder that she couldn't trust anybody after all A had put her through and now to find out that the people closest to her, the ones who said they loved her had lied to her from the very beginning. She wasn't a Hasting. She was a Drake. All she thought she knew about herself suddenly evaporated. She slowly got up and walked over to the mirror hanging over the mantle. As she looked at the girl in the reflection she realised she had no idea who that girl was anymore and it terrified her. Everything now made sense. Why Mrs D never liked her, why her parents didn't want her hanging around Alison, why their families never got on. But what mostly stood was the feeling she had always had of not belonging. That she was nothing but a burden her family wished they didn't have. Spencer lifted up her shirt to reveal her bandaged chest. It still hurt like hell and she knew she would have to be careful so she wouldn't rip out the stitches. She was lucky to be alive the doctor had told her. Right now she didn't feel lucky. Here she was, standing in the barn, bullet wound in her chest, a family that wasn't even her real family and unloved and unwanted by the only man she would ever love. It hurt too much to think of Toby right now. She was so thankful he hadn't been hurt...

 _Flashback_

Spencer was lying in the hospital bed staring blankly at the wall when the door opened and Emily walked in, worry in her eyes.

"Em? What's wrong?" Spencer asked, concern lacing her voice.

"There was an accident. Toby and Yvonne were involved..."

"Toby?! Is he ok? I have to see him Em can you take me to him?" Spencer asked, pushing herself up out of the bed as she spoke. Suddenly she cried out in pain.

"Take it easy Spence. You can't go anywhere you've only just come out of surgery yourself; your weak and you could damage your wound more." Emily gently reprimanded her as she tried to ease her back in the bed. Spencer pushed against her, every bone in her body screaming at her to put but her heart was telling her she had to see him. Had to know that he was ok.

"Em please!" Spencer implored her, looking at her with desperate eyes.

"Ok". Emily helped her get dressed, at Spencer's insistence, into ordinary clothes. She didn't want to look like a patient and worry Toby when he was in a bad way himself. They made their way to Toby's room...slowly. Spencer carefully opened the door, her heart lurching at the sight of him battered and bruised i the hospital bed. She walked over and placed her hand over his thinking how much she wanted o lie next to him and stay that way forever. Toby opened his eyes at her touch, at first not registering that it was her at his bedside. Once his mind caught up with what he was seeing his expression changed. Spencer had never seen that much anger or that much hate directed at her before, especially from him.

"What are you doing here?" he said tersely, clearly trying to contain his anger. Spencer stood there mute, stunned into silence, unsure of what she had done wrong to deserve his wrath.

"I uh heard you were in a car accident and I had to make sure you were ok. How is Yvonne? She's not..." Spencer trailed off as she watched Toby's eyes narrow even further at the mention of his fiancé's name. As much as she wished Yvonne would go away so she could have Toby back she also liked the girl and hoped nothing had happened to her.

"Yvonne is fine no thanks to you" he responded. Toby couldn't believe the gall of her to come to his bedside after what she did. It was her fault he crashed his jeep. It was her fault he nearly broke up with Yvonne and nearly lost her altogether. All because of one stupid mistaken kiss. Toby stared into the hurt eyes of the girl he used to love. He couldn't believe he nearly threw everything away all because he felt a flicker of something when their lips met. No! He wouldn't go down that road again. Better to be with someone who didn't have a stalker following them and trying to kill them every five seconds. He knew deep down he was being unfair to Spencer but right now he didn't care.

"I want you to leave and I don't want to see you again. This is all your fault. That kiss, which was a mistake, should never have happened. I love Yvonne not you, not anymore" he told her, never taking his eyes off her. He watched her face crumble but saw her quickly hide it and hold her head a little higher. She sniffed once and walked out the door, he noticed very slowly, as if she was in pain. He didn't give it another thought.

 _End of flashback_

Spencer felt tears rolling down her cheeks at the memory. The look in his eyes, the hurtful words spoken. She quickly wiped them away. Emily had tried to reassure her that he didn't mean it, that he was just in pain and worried about Yvonne but Spencer knew Toby better than anyone else and she knew he wasn't lying. There was a sudden knock at the door causing Spencer to jump. She walked over, unsure if she should answer when the knock came again only this time more urgently. Spencer slowly turned the door handle and pulled open the door.

"What do you want?" she snapped at the person on the other side of the door, wondering to herself how it had all come to this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Spencer please I just want to talk to you, to explain..."

"There's nothing to explain" Spencer retorted.

"Please just give me a chance. There's more to it than you know and more that you need to know".

"I needed to know years ago. You had plenty of chances, you all did. Why now? You know what I don't even care" Spencer said as she started to close the door.

"It's ok, I understand you're not ready yet, you need time and it is a lot to take in especially given all that has happened. Just know that I am here to answer your questions when you're ready".

Spencer could do nothing but stare confusingly at the retreating back of Mary Drake. Her birth mother. She didn't know if she would ever be ready to talk about it, if she could ever come to terms with how deep the lies and deceit in her family ran. It was all too much to deal with on top of the latest gift A.D had bestowed upon the girls. Spencer looked disgustedly at the board game lying on the kitchen counter, it's flashing lights and subtle noises beckoning her to pay attention to it no matter how hard she tried not to. Spencer walked over to her bedside dresser, opening the top drawer and removing the now well opened envelope that held the contents of the letter Mary had penned to a baby Spencer twenty three years ago. Spencer couldn't bring herself to remove the letter, she knew the words it held nearly off by heart and each time she thought of those words they cut through her like a knife, threatening to break her into a million pieces. Spencer placed the envelope back in her drawer and shut it closed firmly. She didn't want to be weak, she wanted to be strong, to pretend like it didn't hurt that she had been lied to her entire life, that she had been degraded and oppressed by her family, constantly outshone by Melissa all because she wasn't really a Hasting but a Drake. Spencer fleetingly thought of Toby, this is something she would have once shared with him. He would have held her, made her feel special and worth something but not anymore. Sure they had become really close friends after their breakup and they had even shared a brief kiss when she said goodbye to him for what she thought would be the final time but everything had changed after that night. Toby and Yvonne were in an accident and while Toby had escaped with only a few broken bones Yvonne had passed away a few days later. Toby hadn't been the same since; he had completely shut off from the world and had in no uncertain terms told Spencer to stay out of his life. Spencer felt so confused, she loved Toby, she never stopped loving him but she also knew she could never tell him because he no longer felt that way about her. He had found his true love in Yvonne and now she was gone. Spencer shook her head as if she could shake the thought of Toby from her mind.

Beep Beep

Spencer glanced warily at her phone on the bed. Nothing good ever came from looking at her phone these days. She hesitantly picked it up off the bed and unlocked the screen. A message from A.D flashed across the screen

Take a surprise walk on the board – A.D

Suddenly the board game began to light up, as Spencer made her way over to it coordinates flashed in the centre. Spencer picked up her phone and put the coordinates into her phone. As the location came up she nearly dropped her phone. What was A.D playing at?


End file.
